Meliat Abu-Idris was sworn in as the vice president of the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association on the 27th of April, 2024, for the 2023/2024 executive tenure. Here is a review of what she describes as a tenure with no regrets:
According to Article IX of the constitution of the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association, the Vice President:
- Shall advise and assist the President in his/her duties.
- Shall deputise for the president in his/her absence.
- Shall coordinate the social and cultural activities of the Association.
- Shall organise at least one Community Health Awareness Programme in a tenure.
- Shall be the chairperson of the Central Health Week Planning Committee.
- Shall carry out any duties as may be assigned to him/her by any other articles of the Constitution and by the Executive Council.
Following assisting and deputising for the President, she properly carried out her constitutional duties. On social and cultural activities, Meliat chaired the UIMSA Theatre Committee, organising the first UIMSA stage play, Ogba, on the 11th of June, during the 63rd Health Week. Events she organised include the Made in Ibadan 3.0 edition, along with the President, as an evening for UIMSAites with alumni, and she co-hosted the Overcoming Burnout in 2024 X Space with the Olabisi Onabanjo University Medical Students’ Association and Osun State Medical Students’ Association on the 28th of December, 2024. She also chaired the UIMSA Outings Committee, organising the UIMSA Mid-Tenure Bonfire titled Intermission. She did wish UIMSAites could have had an excursion, but that wasn’t possible because she was unable to find an affordable place for everyone and a suitable time as well.
On the welfare of UIMSAites, Meliat worked as the Secretary of the Welfare Committee to cater to their needs, and visited classes throughout the tenure, ensuring constant communication between them and the Executive Council. The classes who wrote the MB during her tenure–2k19, 2k23, and 2k25–received MB packages organised by the vice president including food, messages, and name tags.
Miss Abu-Idris promised at the beginning of the tenure to organise better and more efficient Community Health Awareness Programmes. While she was constitutionally required to organise at least one CHAP, she went on to organise and collaborate on 14 outreaches in what she describes as a hundred percent success, which exceeded her expectations. These outreaches included the Know Your Numbers Outreach in collaboration with Medical Aid For Africa at Aleshinloye Market, the Blood Donation Drive in collaboration with Smile Builders Initiative at Alexander Brown Hall, the Period Poverty Project in collaboration with Foundation Africa, among others—with the Period Poverty Project being the only online outreach; all others were physical. According to the erstwhile Vice President, one of the things that made it quite easier for her tenure was the fact that quite a number of associations reached out to her to organise these outreaches for them, such as the Tedder Hall, Social Sciences, and Philosophy Department outreaches, while some major organisations simply reached out for partnerships, like the Antimicrobial Awareness and Walk in collaboration with AMR Club, UI. Also, there were several members of the CHAP Committee working, so it was not always the same people for each outreach.
Aside from the CHAP outreaches she oversaw, Abu-Idris Meliat also created awareness graphics for over 30 World Days over the course of the tenure, including World Allergy Week and World First Aid Day, among others. Still on health awareness, she collaborated with the Nigerian Agency for the Control of AIDS to acquire a score of contraceptives and lubricants, and spread awareness on World AIDS Day at Royal Roots 92.9FM on the 5th of December.
As the Chairperson of the 63rd Health Week Central Planning Committee, Meliat deemed every event was a success: “It’s different when people are enamoured by one event in particular, but everything was good.” She successfully, along with her committees, organised the maiden edition of the Dr Jay Samuels Inter-MSA Quiz, the Ogba After Dark Bonfire, the aforementioned stage play, inter-class Debate Competition, Ibadan Medicine Specialist Group (IMSG) Inter-class Quiz, symposium, Ulympics and Sports Awards Night, and the “Renaissance”-themed Dinner and Awards Night. According to her, she achieved and exceeded all expectations regardless of the problems which arose. Notably, the budget deficits, which led to the slashing of payments for the graphic designers, have reportedly been settled, and all vendors paid through funds raised.
After ticking off her constitutional duties, Meliat ensured to fulfil her remaining manifesto promises. Her Operation Evolve With Aim, which aimed to increase the interest and participation of committee members, apparently worked really well. She describes commitment levels as “really good,” commenting on her committee members being very active and available throughout her tenure. Regarding her aim to hold two fundraising workshops, while the first did hold successfully, the second, which was not under her office, did not take place due to lack of time resulting from the blackout hiatus from school.
As for her brainchild, the UIMSA Podcast: We Have No Weekends, quite unfortunately, UIMSAites saw only three episodes released, which are presently available only on Audiomack. Apparently, two more episodes have been recorded since the December break, which became a strike break. However, she explains that it did not feel right in the moment to release the episodes while fighting to return to school. When school finally resumed in April, she became swamped with preparations for Health Week and kept postponing their release. Meliat promises to release them still, so UIMSAites may look forward to them.
Beyond her manifesto, the former Vice President acquired new equipment for the Association: two sphygmomanometers, two weighing scales, and one Accu-Chek glucometer. She oversaw the renting out of UIMSA’s medical equipment, earning over ₦50,000 for the Association. Finally, following the resignation of the elected Assistant General Secretary, Rebecca Ogunnaike, Miss Meliat Abu-Idris headed the UIMSA Ushering Team, which provided ushering services to clients both within and outside the University College Hospital.
On her performance as the Vice President for the 2023/2024 executive tenure, it may be agreed that Meliat did exceptionally well. According to her, she “raised the bar for what the office of the VP holds.” She does mention that there is always more to be done, but is happy to have done most of what she set out to. Meliat is most proud of her Health Week as one to remember, and most especially the stage play. She says, “I love that I was able to tell that story because it is everyone’s story and because it touched people and they loved it. It was an amazing moment for me.” She is grateful for, and says she owes it to, her committee heads and members who put in the work and made the entire tenure run so seamlessly.
Perfect as it may have seemed, though, significant challenges during her term included scheduling issues for several Health Week events due to school activities, and fundraising and sponsorship issues in the form of negative responses from sponsors and the general downward progression of the economy, which affected events like the excursion, skills training session, and the UIMSA Podcast. In turn, she recommends that fundraising begins earnestly next tenure and that the excursion committee search for new, affordable tourist sites, while the podcast committee consider opening up the podcast to doctors involved in content creation who might be interested in sponsoring as well.
Without a doubt, Miss Meliat Abu-Idris diligently fulfilled her role as the Vice President of the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association for the 2023/2024 tenure, carrying out her constitutional duties and making good on her promises. She tells us that it was absolutely amazing for her to serve as Vice President. Now, however, she plans to live the next few years of her stay as an ordinary member of the Association and has no more plans for UIMSA—although UIMSA may have plans for her, in her words.
